Jai Ganesha: This is a chant for Ganesha calling on Ganesha as ‘pahimam’ and ‘rakshamam’ - a feeling of protection. I’m not sure where the melody originates, I learned it from Reachel Sing here in Portugal.
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CHANT
Jai Ma Durga: This chant is to the goddess in all of her forms, taken from a text called the Devi Mahatmya which describes the goddess as the supreme power and creator of all.
Om mani padme hum: This beautiful buddhist chant is said to cultivate compassion. It references the jewel (mani) that sits in the lotus (padme) which some say is referring to the soul sitting in the body. The lotus famously grows through mud before it can flower, and so this idea that as we grow through there mud may we slowly recognise the spark of divinity that we hold within our body - and in recognising that in ourselves, we are much more able to recognise it within each other, at which point compassion naturally arises.
Namah Shivaya: This beautiful chant is for Shiva, amongst other things calling to shiva we call to the aspect of ourselves that knows how to remove our own ignorance (the misunderstanding that we are somehow separate from the whole of existence itself). Melody: I learned it from Lina & Joaquim here in Portugal but not sure on authorship.
Modes of Perception: This practice plays with a few different techniques to enliven awareness of what is always already there anyway. We play with sound, breath, and awareness, imposing patterns (practices/techniques) to see what might be revealed when we create contexts that welcome a naturally arising, body wide presence. This practice offers a few different ways in, and each practice can also be used on its own as a micro practice when you have less time.
Hare Krishna: This mantra is well known from the Hare Krishna movement, but is actually an ancient mantra found in the Upanishads. The mantra precedes the movement and is a beautiful call to presence. In the Bhagavad Gita the teacher (Krishna) is the embodiment of existence itself, and for me, repeating the name Krishna is a call to wake up awareness to life itself. This melody came through as I was playing my harmonium one day and for me holds the feeling of yearning - the feeling of life yearning to be noticed, existence longing to be felt and known. Melody: Paula Andreewitch.
Sita Ram Melody variation: A beautiful and simple melody that I first heard from the wonderful Naomi Absalom. Chanting the names Sita and Ram. Sita and Ram, queen and king of the universe, masculine and feminine; the integration of both within us. Deeply in love, and many stories of losing each other and finding each other, just as we forget and then remember ourselves. A call to the deepest remembrance of who we are, a call to trust and faith and perseverance.
Om Nama Shivaya: A mantra for Shiva - remover of ignorance - which is inspired by a beautiful melody by Nikki Slade.
Radhe Govinda Lullaby: A lullaby for Radhe and Govinda, young lovers that embody the essence of joy. Radha, the goddess of the universe and Govinda - the name for a Krishna in his youth. This melody evokes nostalgia and a sense of yearning for the sense of wholeness that we somehow sense is available to us even when it feels out of reach - it is a call for an integration of the masculine and feminine aspects inside our own being (not referring to gender but more to yin/yang, solar/lunar, ida/pingala aspects of ourselves that when integrated created a third thing which is a felt sense of our own wholeness and interrelatedness with all that is. Melody by Paula Andreewitch.
Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo: I bow to the teacher within me, to my innermost knowing, to the all that is that is my teacher. I bow to all the teachers that have come before me and when I chant these words I stand in the river of their wisdom as it moves through. Melody - Paula Andreewitch
Hanuman Chant: Calling in the remembrance of the spark of divinity that resides in all that is.
Arunachala Chant: Calling to steadiness, wisdom, the mountain that is Arunachala, the embodiment of siva, and our highest wisdom. This melody is by Mooji.
Lokah Samastah Sukino Bhavantu: A beautiful peace prayer calling for all beings, everywhere, to be happy and free. I learned this melody from my wonderful colleague Harriet Bone.
Guru Mantra: This mantra calls us into recognition of the teacher in every circumstance, within all and within ourselves. I learnt this beautiful melody from Stephanie Snyder.
purnamada mantra: this mantra is the opening invocation of the Isha Upanishad, and speaks to the inherent wholeness of reality. This is a Vedic melody, author unknown.
Ganesha Mantra: calling to Ganesha as the aspect of ourselves that knows how to move through obstacles, digest our experiences, learn and grow through our challenges. Calling to Ganesha can also be a calling not only for ourselves but for the uplifting, healing and justice for all. I find this one so helpful in difficulty, and also as a sweet blessing for any new beginning, as Ganesha is also invoked to offer blessings at the beginning of any new venture. This melody is Edo & Jo’s beautiful creation.
Sri Ram Jai Ram: chanting the names Sita and Ram.
Sita and ram, queen and king of the universe, masculine and feminine; the integration of both within us. Deeply in love, and many stories of losing each other and finding each other, just as we forget and then remember ourselves. A call to the deepest remembrance of who we are, a call to trust and faith and perseverance. Melody - Paula Andreewitch.
Kali Mataji: A chant to kali, the dark goddess, mother, warrior power, and ruler of time: past, present and future who brings us into presence and NOW. Our ability to dig our way out of confusion and misunderstanding into truth.
Mata means mother, ji is dearest or most beloved. Calling to kali as the mother of all, and the aspect of ourselves that knows how to nurture, protect, and fiercely, unconditionally, love. Melody - Paula Andreewitch.
Gayatri Mantra: I love to start my day with this one. A vedic mantra, a prayer to the moment right before the sun rises, to full potential and possibility, to the effulgent source of all. Traditional melody - author unknown.
Mantras by Candlelight: grab your headphones, and let's chant. No 'good singing voice' required. A wonderful way to get straight back into your heart. *Archive. This is an older video with lower resolution but same high quality sound.